Seven & Thirty

April is my favorite month of the year. I can't imagine a more perfect time to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday than when the world is turning green again and bursting with color. 

This year Andrew and I celebrated our seventh anniversary and that number seems so small to me. Could it only be seven? I can't really remember life without him and don't want to. He's the most beautiful constant thing... always laying down his life for me and making me feel like the most incredible woman in the world. I'm not, but I am humbled to think I'm married to the most incredible husband (who is currently ripping up linoleum on his day off because that's what kind of a servant he is). 

Mom came in to watch Wilson last weekend and sent Andrew and I off to celebrate in Point Clear/Fairhope, Alabama. It felt like our honeymoon all over again... except this time we were early risers and went to yard sales and played horse shoes and watched fish jump and read the newspaper over breakfast and oh my goodness, I really am 30! 

It was everything we needed. 

I only got one picture (selfie, classy) of us and it was blurry and terrible but who can think about capturing the weekend with pictures when you are having the best of best times?

Happy seventh, Andrew! Let's keep doing this marriage thing... it's fun. 

Yesterday I celebrated 30 years of life and unlike seven THIS number seems too big. I don't feel 30... but then again, what is 30 supposed to feel like?

It seems fitting to celebrate Easter in the midst of my birthday, because the gospel is really what gives me such contentment with where I am in life. I lack nothing. The veil is torn and it is finished... the Servant King has washed my feet and my heart. Everything else is just an overflow of goodness and grace.

I told Andrew that for my 30th I wanted all of our friends over for a grill out in our backyard. He got frustrated at me several times because I was doing too much hosting for my own party, but giving me the chance to host is a gift. It's my favorite thing and the older I get the more I'm learning how to use things that give me joy to bless others. 

I told Wilson all I wanted from him was a good picture of us.

After about ten tries and a little bribing, he finally obliged.

We had a backyard full of our favorite people and my favorite littles, and I was thinking that life really couldn't get better.

Can you see how W is learning how to brand his toys?

 Have I said too many times how much I love our friends here? In this season of life I feel like I'm desperate for other moms with genuine honesty, sharpening encouragement, and the desire to live in real community. These friends are all that and more. There's never been a time when I've had a problem and thought, "Who can I call?" because I have a wealth of grace at my fingertips. I'm going to lock them all up in our attic and never let any of them leave me... but really.

And all of their littles, too.

At some point my party turned into a Frozen dance party and I was thrilled to be so trendy. Who of the cool girls, hasn't had a Frozen party this year... I would have hated to have been left out.

A night I will store up and treasure in my heart. Here's to the next decade! I'm hopeful for the hard and the beautiful, because I know that they are both necessary to get me ready for heaven and to experience it fully now.

Lately

I'm stealing this from you, {Anne Marie}, because just thinking about writing a full post on all that's happened this month makes me hyperventilate a bit.

School has begun.

As God's blessing causes our ministry here at Southern to grow, Andrew's responsibilities grow with it. So while most days I am wondering when I'm going to see my husband again, we are incredibly grateful for what God is doing at Southern Miss. Last night we had our biggest weekly meeting at 70 students. During the meeting, we skyped with our recent alumni, Paula, who is serving in East Asia. It was a full-circle moment of what we are hoping to see happen here. Students understanding how to walk well with their Lord in college... and then leave to be a blessing to the world. 

                              

Andrew has started seminary.
Yikes! (It's a scary and exciting thing.) Our church is graciously providing the means for Andrew to drive to Jackson, MS one day a week to take classes at RTS. Andrew is already learning so much from his classes and reading; we are ever so grateful for this opportunity that was obviously a gift from the Lord. However, taking a load of classes and leading a ministry/shepherding a team is quite the balancing act. We need lots of prayers and grace to be able to live life well these days.

                                                    

Wilson and I are at home. Mostly.
I have to be candid here and say that all the instagram/facebook pictures of children being sent off to preschool has left me as an emotional push me-pull you most days. It's better for us to stay at home. Is it better for him to stay at home? I want to be his teacher. Am I equipped to be his teacher? I can shepherd him well here. Will anyone find out that I sat him in front of the TV for an hour while I took a shower and got ready? This decision to keep him home is partly financial and partly this inclination to keep him longer. I'll be honest and say that I wrestle back and forth if that's a selfish desire, making an idol out time with him... or is it just the call the Lord has on my life right now--that the way he wants me to nurture Wilson is to live life day to day with... minute by minute. With lots and lots of prayer.

                                   

Also, I could be enrolling him in preschool tomorrow.

The Jaegers had their baby boy, Levi!
This is big news for our little team of five that just became a team of six. When he reaches a month, we are going to send Levi out on campus to lead a Bible study. Only kidding, kind of, but he really is the cutest TINY thing with a head full of hair and Wilson can't wait to be his friend. Levi, he was only pretending at the hospital when he said he didn't want to touch you. I promise he will be your best friend once you learn to play with legos.



Wilson is not napping. Which is causing Mommy a lot of gray hairs and clothes get rewashed in the machine about three times because I keep forgetting they're done and they get hot and mildewy before they reach the dryer and YES that is all a direct consequence of Wilson not napping.

               

I am entering into some ministry on campus.
Another insecurity that instagram/facebook offers up on a silver platter is my involvement in ministry. Is every Cru staff mom going to their weekly meetings? Are they all meeting with 30 girls a week? Do they all get to have quiet times over coffee and muffins every morning? I'm thankful the Lord gives me great truth to combat the lies of comparison. I only get to see a fraction of peoples' lives on social media (which never gives the full picture) and it doesn't matter anyway! I have my own race to run. With that said, I have been blessed to dip my toe into the water of college ministry this year and I am loving the moments I get. Specifically, I'm getting to meet with our staff/student staff girls weekly to train and encourage them and I get to meet bi-weekly with the best group of leadership girls you will ever meet. Seriously, they are awesome... taking the gospel of Jesus near and far.

This season of life is fast and furious. I'm prayerful that the Lord will teach us to number our days so that we may have wisdom (as Moses prays beautifully in the Psalms... yes, there is a psalm of Moses!). If there were no God and no eternity, then each day would be swallowed up in meaninglessness. What would our days really matter? But I am grateful to live in light of the truth that my days count for something. They are marked and written. My love for Wilson, my obedience to Jesus, my dying daily to myself, my service to Andrew, my teaching the Word to a student... these are gathered up and stored for eternity. Lord, teach me to number my days.

Andrew as a Daddy

 Parenting a two year old has been one of the hardest things Andrew and I have ever done together.

But this man is just the best Daddy. 

He laughs when I am about to cry

 He pushes us towards adventure when I want to stay at home

He shepherds when I want to be passive

He embraces what I want to ignore

He moves forward when I want to sit still

He serves when I just want to be served

He is simply the best and the most incredibly perfect dad for Wilson. W's wild and adventurous heart is a carbon copy of his dad's and I am so glad Andrew is with me to shepherd it. We love you, Andrew! Thank you for living out so clearly the love our Heavenly Father has for us.

Alabama Christmas

From Kentucky, we headed south to Birmingham. By this time, I wasn't sure if we could fit anything else in our car and Little Man was coughing up the last of his poor little lungs.

But we wouldn't have missed a minute with our Alabama family. Each year (and each day, really), I wonder how I could get so lucky to marry into a family like this.

Madelyn and Brooks stole my heart before Wilson, and after Wilson these two little men came along and our hearts grew even bigger.

This trip we mostly just enjoyed being together. Patrick and Leslie's new Wii provided most of the entertainment.

On Saturday, we took a trip to the McWane Science Center. This was a big hit.

They had a train exhibit and I'm sure you can imagine how Wilson felt about that.

These two were pretty much inseparable the whole day. And I loved that.

On a side note, while at the McWane Center, I had a sweet girl approach me and say she recognized me from my blog (?!?!) Hi, Kassi! Her blog {here}. It was a funny moment of thinking my blog was a big deal to realizing it was not that big of a deal... she had clicked off of a friend's. Either way, it was fun to meet someone with sweet things to say, and an encouragement to keep writing on my {Art of Blooming} blog.

On Sunday we celebrated Andrew's  birthday a day early.

Wilson heard the word cake and came running.

I am thankful for another year with this man. Each year, I become more and more proud to call him my husband. He lays down his life for me every day and loves and pursues Jesus in a way that makes me want to follow him.

Afterwards we opened more gifts. We couldn't believe the generosity from every one in our family... we know Christmas is not about the presents (and hope to steer W's heart away from greed), but as we give and as we get it causes our hearts to ponder on the joy and wonder of that depthless gift of Jesus... who was, and is, and is to come.